Existing search tools generally require a user to input text for each element of a search query. The search query may be intended to locate files, emails, calendar events, contacts, or other entities represented by data on a data processing system. Alternatively, the system may provide a user interface that allows a user to build a search query using various on-screen controls specific to the type of the search query element. Various “auto-complete” features may be provided, in which a list of possible search terms is provided which correspond to possible search terms/elements. However, existing implementations make it difficult to easily build complex search queries in a quick and intuitive manner.